a psychological counter-current in recent fiction-第3章

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volition　and　the　expectation　of　better　things　has　not　sunk　to

depths　beyond　any　counsel　of　amelioration。　　To　come　up　out　of

that　Bottomless　Pit　into　the　measureless　air　of　Mr。　White's

Kansas　plains　is　like　waking　from　death　to　life。　　We　are　still

among　dreadfully　fallible　human　beings；　but　we　are　no　longer

among　the　damned；　with　the　worst　there　is　a　purgatorial

possibility　of　Paradise。　　Even　the　perdition　of　Dan　Gregg　then

seems　not　the　worst　that　could　befall　him；　he　might　again　have

been　governor。





IV。　



If　the　human　beings　in　Dr。　Weir　Mitchell's　very　interesting　novel

of　〃Circumstance〃　do　not　seem　so　human　as　those　Russians　of　Gorky

and　those　Kansans　of　Mr。　White；　it　is　because　people　in　society

are　always　human　with　difficulty；　and　his　Philadelphians　are

mostly　in　society。　　They　are　almost　reproachfully　exemplary；　in

some　instances；　and　it　is　when　they　give　way　to　the　natural　man；

and　especially　the　natural　woman；　that　they　are　consoling　and

edifying。　　When　Mary　Fairthorne　begins　to　scold　her　cousin；　Kitty

Morrow；　at　the　party　where　she　finds　Kitty　wearing　her　dead

mother's　pearls；　and　even　takes　hold　of　her　in　a　way　that　makes

the　reader　hope　she　is　going　to　shake　her；　she　is　delightful；　and

when　Kitty　complains　that　Mary　has　〃pinched〃　her；　she　is

adorable。　　One　is　really　in　love　with　her　for　the　moment；　and　in

that　moment　of　nature　the　thick　air　of　good　society　seems　to　blow

away　and　let　one　breathe　freely。　　The　bad　people　in　the　book　are

better　than　the　good　people；　and　the　good　people　are　best　in

their　worst　tempers。　　They　are　so　exclusively　well　born　and　well

bred　that　the　fitness　of　the　medical　student；　Blount；　for　their

society　can　be　ascertained　only　by　his　reference　to　a　New　England

ancestry　of　the　high　antiquity　that　can　excuse　even　dubious　cuffs

and　finger…nails　in　a　descendant　of　good　principles　and　generous

instincts。



The　psychological　problem　studied　in　the　book　with　such　artistic

fineness　and　scientific　thoroughness　is　personally　a　certain　Mrs。

Hunter；　who　manages　through　the　weak…minded　and　selfish　Kitty

Morrow　to　work　her　way　to　authority　in　the　household　of　Kitty's

uncle；　where　she　displaces　Mary　Fairthorne；　and　makes　the　place

odious　to　all　the　kith　and　kin　of　Kitty。　　Intellectually；　she　is

a　clever　woman；　or　rather；　she　is　a　woman　of　great　cunning　that

rises　at　times　to　sagacity；　but　she　is　limited　by　a　bad　heart　and

an　absence　of　conscience。　　She　is　bold　up　to　a　point；　and　then

she　is　timid；　she　will　go　to　lengths；　but　not　to　all　lengths；　and

when　it　comes　to　poisoning　Fairthorne　to　keep　him　from　changing

his　mind　about　the　bequest　he　has　made　her；　she　has　not　quite　the

courage　of　her　convictions。　　She　hesitates　and　does　not　do　it；

and　it　is　in　this　point　she　becomes　so　aesthetically　successful。　

The　guilt　of　the　uncommitted　crimes　is　more　important　than　the

guilt　of　those　which　have　been　committed；　and　the　author　does　a

good　thing　morally　as　well　as　artistically　in　leaving　Mrs。　Hunter

still　something　of　a　problem　to　his　reader。　　In　most　things　she

is　almost　too　plain　a　case；　she　is　sly；　and　vulgar；　and　depraved

and　cruel；　she　is　all　that　a　murderess　should　be；　but；　in

hesitating　at　murder；　she　becomes　and　remains　a　mystery；　and　the

reader　does　not　get　rid　of　her　as　he　would　if　she　had　really　done

the　deed。　　In　the　inferior　exigencies　she　strikes　fearlessly；　and

when　the　man　who　has　divorced　her　looms　up　in　her　horizon　with

doom　in　his　presence；　she　goes　and　makes　love　to　him。　　She　is　not

the　less　successful　because　she　disgusts　him；　he　agrees　to　let

her　alone　so　long　as　she　does　no　mischief；　she　has；　at　least；

made　him　unwilling　to　feel　himself　her　persecutor；　and　that　is

enough　for　her。



Mrs。　Hunter　is　a　study　of　extreme　interest　in　degeneracy；　but　I

am　not　sure　that　Kitty　Morrow　is　not　a　rarer　contribution　to

knowledge。　　Of　course；　that　sort　of　selfish　girl　has　always　been

known；　but　she　has　not　met　the　open　recognition　which　constitutes

knowledge；　and　so　she　has　the　preciousness　of　a　find。　　She　is　at

once　tiresome　and　vivacious；　she　is　cold…hearted　but　not

cold…blooded；　and　when　she　lets　herself　go　in　an　outburst　of

passion　for　the　celibate　young　ritualist；　Knellwood；　she　becomes

fascinating。　　She　does　not　let　herself　go　without　having　assured

herself　that　he　loves　her；　and　somehow　one　is　not　shocked　at　her

making　love　to　him；　one　even　wishes　that　she　had　won　him。　　I　am

not　sure　but　the　case　would　have　been　a　little　truer　if　she　had

won　him；　but　as　it　is　I　am　richly　content　with　it。　　Perhaps　I　am

the　more　content　because　in　the　case　of　Kitty　Morrow　I　find　a

concession　to　reality　more　entire　than　the　case　of　Mrs。　Hunter。　

She　is　of　the　heredity　from　which　you　would　expect　her　depravity；

but　Kitty　Morrow；　who　lets　herself　go　so　recklessly；　is；　for　all

one　knows；　as　well　born　and　as　well　bred　as　those　other

Philadelphians。　　In　my　admiration　of　her；　as　a　work　of　art；

however；　I　must　not　fail　of　justice　to　the　higher　beauty　of　Mary

Fairthorne's　character。　　She　is　really　a　good　girl；　and　saved

from　the　unreality　which　always　threatens　goodness　in　fiction　by

those　limitations　of　temper　which　I　have　already　hinted。



　

V。　



It　is　far　from　the　ambient　of　any　of　these　imaginary　lives　to

that　of　the　half…caste　heroine　of　〃A　Japanese　Nightingale〃　and

the　young　American　whom　she　marries　in　one　of　those　marriages

which　neither　the　Oriental　nor　the　Occidental　expects　to　last

till　death　parts　them。　　It　is　far；　and　all　is　very　strange　under

that　remote　sky；　but　what　is　true　to　humanity　anywhere　is　true

everywhere；　and　the　story　of　Yuki　and　Bigelow；　as　the　Japanese

author　tells　it　in　very　choice　English；　is　of　as　palpitant

actuality　as　any　which　should　treat　of　lovers　next　door。　　If　I

have　ever　read　any　record　of　young　married　love　that　was　so

frank；　so　sweet；　so　pure；　I　do　not　remember　it。　　Yet；　Yuki；

though　she　loves　Bigelow；　does　not　marry　him　because　she　loves

him；　but　because　she　wishes　with　the　money　he　gives　her　to　help

her　brother　through　college　in　America。　　When　this　brother　comes

back　to　Japanhe　is　the　touch　of　melodrama　in　the　pretty

idylhe　is　maddened　by　an　acquired　Occidental　sense　of　his

sister's　disgrace　in　her　marriage；　and　falls　into　a　fever　and

dies　out　of　the　story；　which　closes　with　the　lasting　happiness　of

the　young　wife　and　husband。　　There　is　enough　incident；　but　of　the

kind　that　is　characterized　and　does　not　characterize。　　The　charm；

the　delight；　the　supreme　interest　is　in　the　personality　of　Yuki。　

Her　father　was　an　Englishman　who　had　married　her　mother　in　the

same　sort　of　marriage　she　makes　herself；　but　he　is　true　to　his

wife　till　he　dies；　and　possibly　something　of　the　English

constancy　which　is　not　always　so　evident　as　in　his　case　qualifies

the　daughter's　nature。　　Her　mother　was；　of　course；　constant；　and

Yuki；　though　an　outcast　from　her　own　peoplethe　conventions　seen

to　be　as　imperative　in　Tokyo　as　in　Philadelphiabecause　of　her

half…caste　origin；　is　justly　Japanese　in　what　makes　her

loveliest。　　There　is　a　quite　indescribable　freshness　in　the　art

of　this　pretty　noveletteit　is　hardly　of　the　dimensions　of　a

novelwhich　is　like　no　other　art　except　in　the　simplicity　which

is　native　to　the　best　art　everywhere。　　Yuki　herself　is　of　a

surpassing　lovableness。　　Nothing　but　the　irresistible　charm　of

the　American　girl　could；　I　should　think　keep　the　young　men　who

read　Mrs。　Watana's　book　from　going　out　and　marrying　Japanese

girls。　　They　are　safe　from　this；　however；　for　the　reason

suggested；　and　therefore　it　can　be　safely　commended　at　least　to

young　men　intending　fiction；　as　such　a　lesson　in　the　art　of

imitating　nature　as　has　not　come　under　my　hand　for　a　long　while。　

It　has　its　little　defects；　but　its　directness；　and　sincerity；　and

its　felicity　through　the　sparing　touch　make　me　unwilling　to　note

them。　　In　fact；　I　have　forgotten　them。



　

VI。　



I　wish　that　I　could　at　all　times　praise　as　much　the　litera